


Are You Afraid of the Rain?

by A55hole69



Series: Paint the Town [22]
Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Avengers, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Torture, Parent Bucky Barnes, Parent Tony Stark, Protective Tony Stark, Rain, Storms, Thunder and Lightning, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 13:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30039540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A55hole69/pseuds/A55hole69
Summary: Tony watched Klaus stir awake, then panic. He waved his hands in front of his eyes, "Dad? I can't see."Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, "That's because your eyes are closed."Klaus eyes snapped open, "Oh."
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: Paint the Town [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1362460
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	Are You Afraid of the Rain?

Tony walked out of his room late one night, and found Klaus sitting in the living room staring out the glass doors. There was a heavy storm that night, and for reasons unknown, Klaus always sat in the chair and watched the rain drops run down the glass. 

Tony always found it strange, not because he was doing it, some people just liked the rain. It was strange because Klaus hated the rain. He never set foot in it, each time his hands would start shaking. Even if there was some kind of cover. Every time the rain fell, Klaus would never leave the tower.

There was obviously some trauma involving the rain, but Tony never asked. He knew from experience that Klaus would only clamp up if he was questioned. He had to let the kid tell him on his own terms. He'd wait no matter how long it took.

Tony made them both hot chocolate, packed with pretty marshmallows. He moved toward the window and sat next to Klaus, startling him a little.

"Hey kid." 

Klaus took the cup, and whispered, "Thanks."

Tony sat with him in silence for a while. Enjoying the peace the rain brought. Probably the only time Klaus was ever quiet, or at peace. At least he seemed to be. Tony could see the storm behind his eyes. He noticed his hands shook ever so slightly. He was jumpy. He drank the piping hot chocolate like it was cold water. His fingers tapped in the mug rapidly.

"I got pneumonia four times when I was kid." Klaus spoke softly, his voice trembled, "They used to lock me outside in the rain, chain me by my neck to a tree. I'd be out there for days, one time it was a week and a half. I wasn't exactly easy to deal with." 

"Doesn't make it right." 

Klaus huffed, "They didn't care about right, they wanted a soldier. A puppet." He snorted, "They did not know who they were dealing with."

Tony smirked, "I hope you gave them hell."

Klaus chuckled, "I never had a handler longer than three weeks, they'd mysteriously disappear, or quit, or I'd kill them in front of everyone. They were training their greatest enemy, and they didn't even know it." 

Klaus went quiet again, and Tony stayed with him. Sat next to him and watched the rain fall with him.

"I've seen people dance in the rain, it always looks like so much fun. I get so jealous. Why can't I have that? I can't even take showers, not that I hate baths or anything. I want to know what it feels like, to just enjoy the rain." 

Tony grabbed Klaus' hand and squeezed it, "I can guarantee you, that one day, in the future, you'll walk out in the rain. You somehow managed to survive the worst things that could happen to someone, if you can do that, you can do anything." 

Klaus smiled, and squeezed Tony hand back, "Thanks dad." 

\-------------------

Since that night, Klaus just sort of started telling Tony everything that was on his mind. Whether it be absolutely disturbing, or completely random. One night Klaus told him how he got the scars on his back, and the imagery would forever be branded in his mind.

Klaus was sitting on his desk, his legs crossed, eating candy like this was some wonderful story he was telling his dad.

"So like, I was eleven and they wanted me to kill this kid right. It was supposed to make me tough, to make me get used to killing people. Killing who they wanted me to kill, and I was not down with that. It was super uncool. So they'd give me the gun and tell me to shoot some random kid, and I'd turn it on one of the agents and shoot them instead. And every time I did that, they'd take me outside, in the blazing hot sun, chain me to a wooden post, and whip my back for like twenty minutes with barbed wire."

Klaus dumped a fist full of skittles in his mouth, and kept talking as Tony just stared at him with a horrified expression. 

"It hurt so bad, but it didn't stop me. It took them thirty six times to figure out I wasn't gonna be their bitch. Can you believe that? I would have stopped at three. They absolutely ruined my perfectly sexy back. I can't even take my shirt off at the beach." 

Then another time, Klaus just randomly started, "If mermaids were real, and they had sex with a normal human, would their kid be all human? Would the kid end up with scaly skin? Would the kid have a tail, but instead of scales, it was skin? What do you think that would look like? A skin tail. I think it would be horrifying." 

Tony looked up from his work in confusion, and slight disgust at the thought of a mermaid with a skin tail. "Are you high?" 

Klaus looked at him, "No. Why?"

Other times Klaus would talk about serious things. He'd lay on the couch like he was in therapy, while Tony drew designs for some new tech. 

"I wasn't trying to kill myself. Everyone thinks so. If I was suicidal, I'd ingest one of the thousands of poisons I have in my lab." 

Tony put his pen down, "Then why'd you do it?"

"Since I was a teenager, I've felt this buzzing feeling under my skin. Like a thousand fire ants were crawling under my skin. And there's no release. I've tried everything, drugs, alcohol, cutting, burning, the skin crack. Nothing works. I just thought maybe intense pain would stop it, or at least make me focus on something else. I'm not gonna die if I fall off the roof, I know that. I've been pushed off many roofs to know my limits. I just want to know what the fuck this thing is." 

Klaus sighed, "It's impossible to ignore, when I get used to it, it becomes more intense. Like there's something inside me trying to crawl out." 

"I'm guessing you've already run tests?" Tony asked.

Klaus say up, "Dude, I ran so many tests. Like hundreds. It always comes back totally normal. I'm so close to literally skinning myself."

"Please don't do that. Please, god. Don't do that." Tony sighed, "We're gonna find your file, and run a few scans on you. Why didn't you come to me sooner?" 

Klaus shrugged, "If I'm being honest, it didn't even cross my mind. I have absolutely no idea why I didn't come here. You would've solved this problem years ago."

Tony snorted, "You give me way too much credit kid." 

"Or you don't give yourself enough credit. Ever thought about that?" 

"Let's just agree to disagree."

While Tony looked into Klaus' problem, the kid would pop up every once in a while, and just talk.

Like right then, Klaus was sitting on Tony's desk again eating candy by the fist full, "Is it weird that I can only sleep properly when I'm in Wade's bedroom, specifically with Wade sleeping next to me? Is that weird? I would stop, but it's literally the only time I get sleep. I can't even get that comfortable with my boyfriend. Jon is so nice to lay on, but I can't sleep when I'm with him." 

Tony didn't even look up at him, already used to Klaus tell him shit like this. Thankfully today wasn't too weird.

"You've been in love with Wade since you met him. Which I will never understand, because Wade is Wade."

"I loved Wade because he was Wade. He's just as fucked up as I am. Both broken and abused as a child, forced to be someone's weapon, but never giving in. We're both morbidly curious. He tells me about all of his kills, and I tell him the grossest things I've encountered working in an asylum. It's the highlight of my week."

"Why the hell didn't you date him then?" 

Klaus have Tony a small smile, and shrugged, "He's a garden, and I'm just a little bug."

That was the last time Klaus brought up Wade, or anything dealing with his love life. Klaus just got weirder from there. Tony didn't even realise how weird his kid was until, Klaus walked into his workshop one morning cradling a fat, unusually calm, raccoon in his arms. "Dad, look who I found in the trash. Isn't he cute?"

Tony stood up, "Okay this is where I draw the line. There will be no wild animals in this workshop. I don't need to be cleaning shit off my very expensive floors." 

Klaus groaned, "Fine."

Then one day, Klaus didn't show up, and immediately he knew something was wrong. Tony waited until lunch time, because sometimes the kid was late, sometimes he was early, but he always got there before lunch. Always. It was actually kind of impressive, given how busy he always seemed to be.

Tony waited another hour before calling Wade. 

"Where the hell is my kid?" 

"Well hello to you too, sir." Wade greeted sarcastically, "And I left sugar bun in bed this morning, he was still sleeping and I didn't want to wake him. I haven't been home since, you'll have to talk to Peter." 

Tony called Peter.

"He went for coffee before I left, that was like three hours ago. I don't really know where he went after that, Mr. Stark." 

Tony sighed, "Thanks kid."

There was a pit in his stomach, telling him something was wrong. He wasn't usually worried about Klaus, he knows he can take care of himself, usually.

So he did what any logical person would do, and traced the tracking chip Klaus put under his skin. Tony thought it was a horrible idea, so did everyone else, but Klaus was adamant that it had to be done. He always had a fear that someone would take him. 

The kid was very paranoid, he prepared for even the most ridiculous things, like the zombie apocalypse. 

"I know it's ridiculous but it's not impossible, dad. Some crazy asshole is gonna create some virus, and it might be me, it might be someone else. We don't know. But I will be prepared for it." 

Tony let him be, the preparation always kept his mind at ease. An anxious Klaus was sometimes a very bad thing. Sometimes he'd let the thoughts consume him, and Tony would find hundreds of baked goods in his kitchen the next day.

Tony sighed and typed in the code for the tracker, which lead him to Germany. Tony frowned, "What the hell?" 

It was an old Hydra base, the one Klaus was born in if he was correct. Klaus' vitals showed his body temperature was low, too low, and he was passed out. But that was all he could tell. 

Tony jumped up from his desk, and ran to the elevator to get the rest of the team.

\----------------

The rain was pouring in Germany, and judging by his vital signs, Klaus was in the middle of it. What they didn't expect was, Klaus laid out onto a metal slab on the roof of the bunker. Four metal rods were bolted onto the four corners of the table. 

Bucky spotted a man standing far away in a tower, watching the roof, under an umbrella. "Tony." He called.

"I see him." Tony jumped out of the jet, and flew toward the man, who tried running when he spotted Tony. 

Bucky flew the jet toward Klaus, and they got out on the roof, leaving the aircraft hovering. They ran through the pouring rain to get to the unconscious blond, but stopped abruptly when six bolts of lightening hit the metal rods. 

The table was hit, hard. Electricity woke Klaus up, and he screamed in pain. His chest violently rose off the table, then dropped. Then passed out again when it stopped.

"Something weird is happening." Bruce said through the com, "He's stabilizing. That's impossible, his heart rate shouldn't be stable after being hit like that." 

"What does that mean?" Steve asked.

"I don't know." Bruce answered, "Be careful not to touch his skin."

Steve picked Klaus up, and they ran back to the jet. Tony had a middle aged man handcuffed in the jet, "He's the only one here." 

Steve nodded, "Let's get the hell out of here."

\----------------

Fury turned up in their living room a couple minutes after they got Klaus stable. Which was weird since he hadn't been invited.

"I always have eyes on you. Where's the agent?" 

Steve crossed his arms, "Natasha and Bucky are talking to him."

"Did he say why he wanted the kid?"

"No. Do you know why he wanted the kid? Since you like the keep eyes on us."

"He's a dangerous kid. I expect a lot of people want him dead."

"That's the thing, this guy didn't want to kill Klaus." Steve lead Fury to the other side of the two way mirror, where Clint and Sam listened. 

"Where's Stark?"

"He's looking after Klaus." 

Fury listened in on the interrogation.

"They threw me aside like I was worthless. Like I didn't know all their dirty little secrets. Klaus was one of our greatest break throughs. Every time there was a storm, we'd lock him outside with lightening rods attached to his chest. The serum we put in him depended on a great power source we couldn't produce, so we waited on storms. With every strike of lightening, he got stronger and stronger, but even more defiant. We realised, Klaus would never fight for us, so we conditioned him to forget the experiments, forget his powers, and implanted a fear of rain into his subconscious. We couldn't let him continue."

Bucky grabbed the man by his collar, "What the hell is wrong with you? He was a kid."

Nat, pulled him back. The man fixed his collar, and smiled.

"Sacrifices must be made to achieve greatness, Mr. Barnes. And Hydra's greatest weapon was just completed. When he wakes he'll be unstoppable." 

"What did you do to him?"

"You already know about the gold. It was the first thing he'd learned. It was such a bright colour in a world of grey and white. He became fascinated by it. Then there was the silver, and every single element trickled in after. Why do you think we call him The Chemist? The boy was dyslexic, an idiot, he's no genius. But he picked up chemistry like it spoke to him after the experiments. 

"What we did to him rewired his brain in a way. Before, he was an idiot, he could barely count to ten. After, he was brilliant. But with brilliance came defiance, we had to bury a new agent every week. So we conditioned him to forget. The gold was too attached, so we blocked it with a song his mother sang to him every single night before she died. That tape unlocked the gold, but everything else was buried. But after tonight, it will be uncovered, Hydra will fall to its knees, and I will have the pleasure of watching them burn." 

Bucky clenched his fist, and sat back into his chair. Nat leaned forward, "So you think Klaus will destroy Hydra, now that he has his memories?"

The man smirked, "Of course he will. The Klaus I remember was powerful, and he'd stop at nothing to correct any injustice. Klaus will burn the world, and everyone in it."

Steve scoffed from behind the mirror. "He really doesn't know that kid."

Nick turned to Steve, "If this is true, Klaus is too dangerous now." 

Sam scoffed, "With all due respect that's a load of bullshit. That kid dangerous with or without his powers. Charm is his greatest weapon. You could take his powers and his intelligence. He'd bat those big green eyes at you, and you'd kill anyone he asked you to." 

Clint nodded in agreement, "I once saw him convince a New Yorker, that aliens weren't real. Even though we've had four different invasions. It was a fascinating thing to watch. Like, the guy actually believed him." 

"We still need to be prepared if this whole thing goes south." 

"And we did. So worrying so much man." 

Fury frowned, "Are you serious? Klaus could be a serious threat to the planet."

Steve shrugged, "Klaus is too lazy to be evil." 

Fury gave them all a look, and just walked out. They were going to ask, but Jarvis informed them that Klaus woke up.

\------------------

Tony watched Klaus stir awake, then panic. He waved his hands in front of his eyes, "Dad? I can't see."

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, "That's because your eyes are closed."

Klaus eyes snapped open, "Oh."

Tony smiled fondly, "How are you feeling, pup?" 

"Great, actually. Better." Klaus looked down at his arms, and frowned, "The skin buzzing stopped. If I had known I had to electrocute myself, I would have done it years ago."

Tony's smile dropped a little, "Kid, we have to talk." 

Klaus sat up in bed, he went to grab the cup of water on the table next to him, but it suddenly froze. Klaus did a double take, "The fuck?"


End file.
